It’s the business end of the TAC Cup season with finals on the horizon. The Loy Yang B Gippsland Power went into their round 16 match against the Sandringham Dragons looking to continue their winning form and cement themselves as the competition leader. It turned out to be a case of opportunity lost.
Wil Hams and Jack Johnstone were back in the Power lineup after recovering from minor injuries, but important contributors Jack Leslie, Simon Deery and Josh Cashman were unavailable. The Dragons on the other hand were back to full strength with the return of their stars from private school football. It was a day for wet weather footy. Conditions were tough with a strong bone chilling wind blowing across the ground, the centre square a muddy bog.
Solid good team oriented play early in the game by Ben Kearns and Daniel Jackson set up Nick Graham to open the scoring for the Power. Tom Muir then unselfishly set up Shannen Lange for another and it looked as if the Power had the Dragons measure with their trademark hardness in the contested issues. Some more good contested work saw Liam Nash give Lachlan Channing another important major and both sides upped the ante to make it hard to get any cohesive passages of play going.
The Dragons wasted several forward fifty forays with inaccuracy and by the end of the term the Power led by fourteen points. In the opening moments of the second quarter the Power made too many poor decisions and struggled to finish off good play. After ten minutes of scrappy play the Dragons scored the first major of the term.
A clever snap by Kearns broke the Power goal drought after thirty minutes and then Lange kicked his second roving the base of a pack. In the closing stages of the quarter the Dragons scored another goal that reduced the Power led to fourteen points at the long break. It was a disappointing end to the half. Despite dominating key statistical areas like forward fifty entries, the Power were being outplayed by the Dragons ability to convert these opportunities on the scoreboard.
In the third quarter Dragons took control of much of the play. It was the Power who kicked the first goal of the term through good work by Anthony Tipungwuti and Channing to allow Tim Membrey to kick his first goal for the match. For the rest of the quarter the Dragons outplayed the Power. They easily kicked four unanswered majors to go to the final break six points up. During the break coach Nick Stevens reinforced to his players that they were capable of playing much better football and challenged them to lift.
It seemed the players had heeded the coach’s message at the start of the last quarter. Better forward pressure allowed Muir to set up Jackson to score a crucial goal for the Power and get them back into the contest. An appalling umpiring decision gifted the Dragons a crucial goal and then they put the issue beyond doubt after being allowed to set up a goal with easy rebound play. By the final siren the margin was eleven points but the greater concern is the damage done to the Power’s confidence.
The Power failed to convert opportunities, with more forward fifty entries, but a poor conversion rate. They were also unable to apply consistent pressure once the Dragons won possession. In most games this has been a strength for the Power, but the Dragons were easily able to find loose players on turnovers and setup soft scoring opportunities. Nick Stevens will be keen to work this deficiency coming into the finals and spoke positively to the boys about this need to refocus at the end of the game.
Final scores - Sandringham Dragons 8 goals 10 behinds 58 points defeated Loy Yang B Gippsland Power 7 goals 5 behinds 47 points. Goal kickers Shannen Lange 2, Tim Membrey, Lachlan Channing, Nick Graham, Daniel Jackson and Ben Kearns 1.
On a day when the Power defence was under constant pressure, Anthony Tipungwuti was outstanding as he shut down dangerous opponents and then generated play with his skills, pace and willingness to run and carry the ball.
In the thick of things all day was Josh Scott who worked tirelessly at Centre Half Forward. His contesting and marking in the conditions was a highlight of his game.
Lachlan Channing had the same positive attitude to the challenges of the hard stuff and was also an important creator of good passages of play. He consistently put his body on the line when it mattered most.
Another key member of the team, Riley Hall, was un-passable at full back and his hardness in applying consistent pressure on opponents was excellent.
Will Hams made a significant return from injury with a typical team focused effort. He too limited his opponent’s possessions but was also able to be a playmaker for his side. His excellent ball skills and ability to win the hard ball were on display.
Backman Jack Johnstone was another to make an important return from injury and showed that he will be a key factor in the sides finals tilt. He totally dominated key Dragons forwards with disciplined and hard defence as well as being willing to win the ball himself to set up team mates.
Young defender Liam Nash was another to work tirelessly. He did the disciplined things all day in an impressive display. Jarryd Drew also worked hard to apply pressure in the thick of the action while winning many important possessions himself. Key attacking player, Josh Scott, gave the Power an effective target with his superior aerial skills as well as his ability to work equally as hard at ground level.
The final game of the regular season for the Power will take place at Moe next Saturday. Their opponents, the Northern Knights appear to offer the Power little resistance based on comparative win-loss ratios or ladder positions but Nick Stevens will be well aware of the danger of overconfidence going into this game. The Knights are his old TAC Cup side and he has several friends who work at the club. He knows that they will be well prepared to give the Power a genuine challenge and will have a much stronger side that that available for much of the season due to school football commitments.
In either scenario he will ensure that the Power boys are well prepared for the Knights and will be keen to get the boys focus back on the key team-based elements of their game that have been so important all season. It’s likely that Josh Cashman will be back and young ruckman Jack Leslie will also return after suspension, both have been missed. The key to this game is for the Power to regain the sort of adherence to the game plan that has helped them to be so good for much of the year and Nick will be working hard to make it happen.
Last Modified on 15/03/2013 12:38